Giving credit to long-time Girl Scout volunteers
To the editor:
I read an article in the paper this morning regarding Girls Scouts of Brown County. While I am very glad to see that the program is gaining traction once again in the county, post COVID, I do feel there were several inaccuracies in the article that deserves correction.
There are many dedicated volunteers that have spent endless hours running this program for many years in Brown County, of which I am most familiar with the past decade.
I will tell you that in the 1990’s, as a student, I had an incredible Girl Scout leader here in Brown County, Chris Bolis, who planned many incredible adventures and activities for us.
If not for her, I would not have said “YES!” when asked to take over an existing troop of 6-12th graders mid-year in January of 2014. I was thrilled to get my girls involved in Girl Scouts, as I had enjoyed it so much, myself, and quickly enrolled them in the existing troop for younger girls.
By fall of 2014, I additionally stepped into the volunteer role of Service Unit Manager for the county until fall of 2019, when due to some life changes, I returned to simply running my 6 to 12th grade troop, which my own girls were FINALLY aging into.
I loved my time as Service Unit Manager, but could no longer keep up with the 20 to 30 hours a week I was putting into it, in addition to full time work and other volunteer positions. I know how hard this position is and I applaud the newly recruited SUM, Lauren McKinney, for stepping up to the plate and wish her the best of luck!
When I stepped down in 2019, Girl Scout Council was to handle the position while recruiting a new volunteer. Then a world pandemic hit, and as with all groups, employees, participants and volunteers completely fell of the face of the planet.
Girl Scout Council struggled to keep an employee in place to help over see the program here locally and without leadership, its hard to keep volunteers pumped.
Just before COVID hit, Brown County Girl Scouts had built a program that had 82 REGISTERED GIRLS and 12 VOLUNTEERS. We had an amazing program that provided families an opportunity to drop off girls at one time at one location for anyone K-12th, turning away no new girls! We took girls camping, participated in STEM projects, volunteered, held cookies & canvas programs, took them on their first trips out of state, museums, plays and so much more (including selling cookies)!
Every year, K-5th took a spring out of state trip and 6-12th a summer out of state trip. There is nothing like driving through St. Louis with a caravan of 11 minivans/SUVs full of 50+ excited K-5th graders and incredible volunteers. (that only cost the Girl Scouts $10 to attend).
None of this would have been possible with out these amazing volunteers that lead with me. I am not too shabby at paperwork, financials, and planning trips. But these wonderful women planned our monthly meetings, crafts, badge work, stem projects, worked countless fundraisers, and most importantly, developed relationships and served as remodels to these 82 girls and this deserves intense recognition.
Part of me feels such sadness that COVID hit, and we suddenly lost such a great setup, but I also completely understand. COVID changed many things for me, as well, and time at home became a huge priority for me once I was forced to experience it, myself.
The article made it sound as if there was zero Girl Scout presence until now and that there was only one troop that didn’t allow new girls. But these former volunteers deserve their recognition, as a world pandemic that changed the way the entire world works should not discredit them. Immediately, post COVID, two troops with four leaders survived, and yes, my troop did close to new girls at that point as our troop decided to focus on fundraising for a bigger than normal trip to reward those who stuck through COVID and to add new girls would not be fair to take funds away from those who stuck through it.
I understand there was not a normal transition from volunteer to volunteer, and much information of history was lost in the two-year gap while those who stuck around forged ahead without a main point person, but lets give credit where credit is due.
Kim Rusin, Kiley Walters, Lorna Reichman, Mandy Simmons, Mandy Wade, Cortney Hitchcock, Mandy Smoot, Cassie Sevier, Allison Crenshaw, Jessie Laguna, Beth Branson, Alasa Harper, Cindi Golis, Kimberly Spencer, Libby Clephane, Keisha Lipscomb.
These are the amazing leaders that served during my time as Service Unit Manager 2014-2019 and they deserve an applause. They ran an amazing program. I would also like to mention that Jessie Laguna and Beth Branson are still registered leaders and have been around since before I even joined in 2014!
Erika Bryenton, Co-Leader of Troop 3082, a troop that has existed in Brown County since before I joined as a leader.
LWV provides overview of legislative session
To the editor:
Thanks to the League of Women Voters of Johnson County for providing a good overview of the 2023 Indiana legislative session. The Brown County League of Women Voters offers this overview to our local friends who may find the information helpful.
Following legislation is an exciting journey that you can share with friends and reliable organizations. It’s important to look at the benefits and drawbacks of each bill. Listen to knowledgeable people who support or oppose the bill. Getting multiple perspectives helps us make informed decisions.
It’s fun, frustrating and empowering to be a partner in democracy. Please inform your legislators about your support or opposition to pending legislation. Remember that your legislator has a moral and legal obligation to work for the common good of all Indiana residents.
Frequently Asked Questions
“Why should we care?!” Our legislators create laws about issues that affect our lives – education, employment, healthcare, housing, transportation, how much we are taxed, how our tax money is spent. Effective bills are generally apolitical when both parties work for the common good of Indiana residents. We can make a difference by being an informed, active participant with others in the policymaking process.
“What is the IGA?” Indiana government is divided into three branches – Legislative, Executive and Judicial. The Indiana General Assembly, or IGA, is the Legislative branch of government. The IGA is composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate: 100 State Representatives and 50 State Senators.
“What do Legislators do?” Our legislators are meeting from Jan. 3 to April 30. Representatives and Senators write bills, consider, amend, and vote for or against the bills. The General Assembly’s website to view the bills is https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2023/bills/.
“What steps does a bill go through to become a law?” A bill can go through many steps before it becomes a law. Anyone can present their legislator with an idea for a bill. Legislators work with legal staff to write the bill. The bill gets a number and is assigned to a standing committee.
The committee holds hearings and decides to approve, amend or reject the bill. This is the most effective time to voice your opinion. If the committee approves the bill, it goes to the originating chamber – House or Senate – for consideration. It is read, debated, and can be amended. The House and the Senate must pass the bill before it goes to the governor to veto or sign into law.
“What can Indiana residents do about a bill before it becomes law?” As citizens, we have the right and obligation to tell our legislators what bills they should support or oppose before they become laws.
“How do I find information about important bills?” First, decide what issues are important to you. Are you concerned about healthcare, housing, environmental matters, or education? Here’s an example about finding information.
“A member web searched ‘Does IGA 2023 have any childcare tax credit bills?” That request led to Senate Bill 255 – Child and dependent care tax credit – IGA 2023 and a link to the IGA website and SB 255. A click on Bill Actions shows that SB 255 is in the Tax and Fiscal Policy committee. A click on Members shows who’s on the committee. Because of previous research, we know that a tax credit is better than a deduction because taxes are reduced dollar for dollar. The action plan might be to call the committee chair, Senator Holdman and the ranking member, Senator Baldwin. If time allows, one might call the other committee members to support SB 255 and pass it from committee to the Senate for further consideration.
When searching for information on a specific bill, be sure to type the bill’s name and number and Indiana 2023. For example: SB 255 Indiana 2023. Some proposed legislation may be more controversial than SB 255. For example, House Bill 1036 – School board elections require candidates for school board offices to be nominated in the same manner as candidates for all other elected offices.
Many organizations and publications share information about pending legislation. Reliable sites include IGA-2023 Session (https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2023/bills/), Ballotpedia (https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana), LegiScan Indiana Legislature 2023 (https://legiscan.com/IN ), Hoosier Environmental Council (https://www.hecweb.org/bill-watch-2023/) and Chalkbeat Indiana (https://in.chalkbeat.org).
“What role does the LWV have?” The League of Women Voters’ mission is to Empower Voters and Defend Democracy. We educate ourselves and our community and we advocate for good government on all levels. All League-sponsored work is strictly nonpartisan. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all League activities. We provide facts and encourage people to be informed and actively participate in all levels of government.
Questions? Please contact the League at [email protected].
Laurie Teal, League of Women Voters of Brown County
More appreciation for the Christmas Committee
To the editor:
As many know we have collaborated with the Brown County Historical Society since 2015 to begin the season with the Town’s Annual Christmas Tree Lighting on the day after Thanksgiving. Earlier in the year Brenda Young, Dorothy Babcock and Historical Society President Pete Bullard conferred and put it on our calendars. The info was submitted to Kamady Lewis, now new director of the CVB, to get it placed on the Town’s Event Calendar and in the Brown County Democrat.
The Annual Tree Lighting at the History Center: Luminaries lighted the way for approximately 500 attendees. Historical Society members with help from members of the Pioneer Women provided over 60 dozen wrapped, home-made cookies, hot chocolate and tea, once again for the price of a “Thank you.” Special thanks to Alice Lorenz for sharing her sleigh for picture taking. Ginnvor and Pete Bullard, Rob and Nancy Coulter, Richard Frenzel, Mike Kummerer, Alice Lorenz, Vince and Jennifer Milnes, Mark and Kathy Shields, Marcia Sled, Terry and Pua Smith were there to help make it an enjoyable time. Brenda Young and Roger Kelso, Dan, Aileen, Mary Ann and Dorothy enjoyed greeting everyone and passing out the wooden nickels.
Nashville Arts and Entertainment provided musicians Chuck Wills and Braeden Brown, who were greatly enjoyed. Mr. and Mrs. Santa, a/k/a Phil and Bev Ford, happily greeted the children with their parents and heard their wishes. They also had a chance to see a real, old-fashioned Christmas Tree in the Gnaw Bone Cabin Room. Mary Ann Cline once again provided the tree for Peaceful Valley Heritage which Ed Wineinger cut down. He with the help of his wife Aileen and Mary Ann loaded and delivered it, and with the help of Rob Coulter and Dick Frenzel carefully set it up. The Committee decorated it with hand-made ornaments and popcorn chains. They also decorated the Schoolhouse. Ric Fox strung the lights and secured the topper on the Town Tree and Pete and Dorothy finished the rest.
It is with our Committee’s heartfelt thank you to all who helped make this event possible. It was also a wonderful opportunity to appreciate our beautiful History Center.
Best wishes for 2023. Stay safe and well.
The Christmas Committee — Dorothy Babcock, Mary Ann Cline, Ric Fox, Syd Nickels, Dan Waldhier, Linda and Kenny Wendling, Aileen Wineinger, Brenda Young
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